Why small businesses fall back in the race for trainees

training in small businesses: challenges and trends

bonn (ots)

The situation of small businesses in Germany is worrying in view of the current training figures. While the total number of trainees in the country in 2023 increased slightly and reached over 1.5 million, small businesses that employ less than ten employees subject to social security have a decline of 3.4 % in the number of trainees compared to the year 2022/23. In addition to this downward development, there is an opposite trend in large companies: Here the number of trainees increased by 2.9 % in the same period.

The trend towards large companies

A central problem that affects small businesses is the growing inclination of young people to complete their training in large companies. Dr. André Pahnke from IFM Bonn states that in 2013 only 27.6 % of trainees worked in large companies, while 30.6 % are now being trained in these companies. This shift is significant and has an impact on the training landscape in Germany.

small businesses in the upswing or away?

Although the overall training quota is still 69.4 % in the smallest, small and medium-sized companies, the continuous decline in training companies is alarming among small businesses. Dr. Pahnke points out that this is not necessarily due to a lower willingness to train. Often, small companies only have an apprenticeship; If this is not occupied, you will disappear from the statistics of the Federal Employment Agency. This in turn leads to a distorted picture of the training activities of these companies.

regional differences in the training quota

Another aspect of the training landscape is the regional distribution of the training quotas. At the end of 2023 Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony has the highest training rates, while city-states such as Hamburg and Berlin are at the bottom of the scale. The discrepancy between western and eastern Germany is particularly striking, since the training quota in the western federal states is higher.

shortage of skilled workers in the march

Development in the smallest companies creates concerns about the future shortage of skilled workers. If this trend continues, it will be increasingly difficult for small businesses to meet their needs for specialists through internal training measures. In the long term, this could have negative effects on the stability and innovative strength of smaller companies that are of great importance for the German economy.

Overall, the situation of the small businesses illustrates the need to take targeted measures in order to strengthen the willingness to train and ability of these companies. This is the only way to ensure that you can continue to play an important role in the training of specialists in the future.